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Carissimi,

I know. I ignored my website and it got stale. I piled pieces I’d written in disorganized lists in my Italian regional files. Magazines closed and their websites changed. The places that I wrote for with pleasure mostly disappeared. I looked around and wasn’t thrilled with the ...

New Favorites in Campania and Puglia

I’ve decided to take a new approach. Not doing my usual write-ups or itineraries, but adding lots of places with a very brief explanation, but most importantly putting them on the map. New favorites in Campania and Puglia:Antonio Giardino is a terrific baker in Campania, worth a visit especially for ...

Agnelli Cookware

Confession: I’m a housewares junkie. I can’t resist anything that belongs in the kitchen or on the table. My shelves and cupboards are full so in order to acquire I’ve got to eliminate. Since some of my ceramic-coated pans were getting weary I was thrilled by an offer from my ...

Eating in Florence

Eating in FlorencePeople ask me all the time where to eat in Florence, the city I call home. Recently someone blogged about ten places to eat incredibly well in Florence. I disagreed with most choices. And found the list somewhat simplistic, impressed with trendy Michelin-starred places, not really what a ...

Gelo al Caffè

Ristorante Crocifisso has always been my favorite restaurant in Noto, a spectacular Baroque city in southeast Sicily. Any time of the day is perfect for a visit with Corrado and Carlo Assenza at their Caffè Sicilia, a destination for gastronomes that I’ve written about elsewhere. But a recent dinner at ...

Il Cipresso

I don’t know what took me so long to get to Ristorante Il Cipresso in Loro Ciuffenna. It’s one of those places that flies under the radar, not in most guidebooks, but for me, worth a voyage. Superstar butcher Dario Cecchini, my Tuscan brother, took me there for dinner, along ...

Pino: Super Sicilian Chef

Pino Cuttaia: Super Sicilian ChefPino Cuttaia is the greatest chef in Sicily, and one of the greatest in Italy. The food at his restaurant La Madia is original and creative, but has deep roots in the island’s traditions. Pino’s dishes evoke flavors remembered from his childhood and often use ingredients ...

Cooking with the Duchess of Palma di Montechiaro

Cooking with the Duchess of Palma di Montechiaro
I’ve got to thank Santa Rosalia, nicknamed Santuzza, the patron saint of Palermo, for meeting the Duchess of Palma di Montechiaro. I was visiting the city and a great friend (the Duchess’s sister-in-law, Marchesa Anna Tasca Lanza) suggested that I watch the opulent ...

Sicily, Part 6

We were on our way to Mount Etna, my favorite active volcano. I was returning to the village of Linguaglossa - population 5000, 14 butcher shops, my kind of place. We'd be based at the delightful hotel Shalai Resort, contemporary décor in a restored 19th century noble residence with frescoed ...

Sicily, Part 5

I had an appointment with Francesco Pantaleone, wanted to visit his contemporary art collection since I'm very interested in the work of Francesco Simeti and he has some fine pieces. But Pantaleone was called away to Catania and my visit was cancelled. Yet another excuse for a return to Palermo. ...

Sicily, Part 4

I love Sicilian pottery (although there's quite a bit of unattractive stuff around) and wanted to visit the Ceramic Museum in Burgio. I hoped to indulge in a shopping spree with local artisans - I had examined some of the Foresteria's attractive pottery, and written down the names of the ...

Sicily, Part 3

Massimo had never seen the archeological site of Gela, overlooking a coast despoiled by oil refineries, or the fantastic Archeological Museum, always empty, always impressive. And it was a perfect stop on the way to Licata to see Pino Cuttaia, the island's greatest chef, and dine at his restaurant La ...

Sicily, Part 2

After breakfast we listened to a presentation by Professor Attilio Scienza on Sicilian wine, genetic varietal improvements, eco-compatible winemaking. My favorite line of the morning: "The best way to know the future is to invent it." It was followed by an open tasting with producers and their wines. I bumped ...

Sicily, Part 1

"Sicily. It's a continent," a friend explained. It's a great approach to this vast, self-contained island, layered with more than 28 centuries of history and traditions, influenced by practically every civilization that passed through the Mediterranean. I never tire of exploring.
I'd been invited on a press trip, Sicilia en ...